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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · deal · spring · bay · toast · prune · trunk · game

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. spring — a coil
  3. game — a match
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spring — of water
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. game — wild animals
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. deal — to handle
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. prune — to trim
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. spring — the season
  21. prune — to trim
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. deal — a big deal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com